Also one update you today on new information is being made available regarding nursing homes starting today A. Z You know, our ultimate goal has always been to make sure that we have timely information to protect as many people as possible, especially those individuals who are most vulnerable to this disease. And just by definition, residents of nursing homes are other because of the rage or because of co morbid health conditions and in many cases, both. Early on, we were reporting cases in nursing homes by name of the individual facility, but that became increasingly difficult. These cases increased, you might remember, in order to get information out as quickly as possible. There were times and press briefings. We reported P wise persons under investigation that should say who turned out to be negative and they didn't have co bit. In many cases, a resident of a nursing home is tested and diagnosed a Kobe in 19 but not while they're in the nursing home. They're tested in a hospital or another outside provider, and that further makes a little more difficult sometimes to report accurately as we move from mitigation to suppression of the virus and we begin to slowly eased restrictions on the economy. We, as you know, are ramping up our contact tracing across the state. And I think this allows us to move to a new system of reporting as well, one that not only will be able to share in from individual names of nursing homes not individual names off residence, but of nursing homes, Um, but also other data points as well. Then it follows recent CMS reporting departments on nursing homes that start today. The department will share the following data for each certified adult care facility. Onus Corona Virus, Web page, the facility name and parish, the number of cumulative cases among residents, cumulative cases among staff and the number of deaths among residents if they've had one of more deaths. This information is as complete and accurate as possible on all information, miss from data reported directly by the facilities and will be updated once a week on Mondays. It's important to note that some facilities have implemented enhanced surveillance for Kobe 19 including facility wide testing, even asymptomatic residence facilities implementing. I'm sorry. Implementing increased testing may report higher case counts due to enhanced case detection measures. Nursing homes are required to report positive Kobe in 19 cases to the Department of Health, and the department has been and continues working with each individual facility to increase testing of residence with them without symptoms to minimize infection and to prevent the spread of Kobe in 19. No th issued formal guidance last Friday, encouraging comprehensive testing of residents and staff, those with and without symptoms, and all congregate settings, nursing homes, incarceration settings and so forth. In addition, the department of sharing aggregate totals for other adult residential facilities, which are not certified, such as group homes and addiction facilities. This information will be shared on Mondays through a department news release.
Louisiana reverses course on nursing home coronavirus info
![WDSU logo]()
Updated: 12:37 PM CDT May 19, 2020
State health officials are now detailing how the novel coronavirus is impacting specific nursing homes, removing the lid on the information it had initially made public but stopped providing April 1.Gov. John Bel Edwards said Monday the release of data complements efforts to test 100% of residents and staff at long-term care centers and other congruent living facilities such as group homes and prisons.The Louisiana Department of Health provided counts from each nursing home of the number of residents and staff members who have tested positive, along with the number of resident deaths. Information on staff deaths was not provided.Highland Place Rehab and Nursing Center in Shreveport has reported the most cases among residents with 124, including 17 deaths. Old Jefferson Community Care in Baton Rouge was next with 82 cases and 21 deaths, followed by the Southeast Louisiana War Veterans Home in Reserve, where 80 residents tested positive and 28 have died.“Families need to know these facilities that have clustered cases. The larger community needs to know, and I think it’s a step in the right direction,” said Denise Bottcher, Louisiana AARP executive director. Her organization sent a letter to the governor Monday asking that he oppose any effort to offer immunity to nursing homes against lawsuits related to the coronavirus pandemic. Louisiana’s policy change comes exactly one month after WDSU Investigates reported how families struggled to obtain information on how nursing homes were responding to outbreaks of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. At Riverbend Rehabilitation and Nursing Home near Belle Chasse, an administrator notified families by email that there were no cases at the facility. While she was technically correct because the infected residents were no longer on site, WDSU confirmed three residents had died from the virus and another three were hospitalized. Monday’s numbers from the Louisiana Department of Health show there have been 24 coronavirus cases among residents at Riverbend, 10 of whom have died -- accounting for nearly two-thirds of deaths in Plaquemines Parish. Another 13 staff members at Riverbend have also tested positive.Deaths at nursing homes Two nursing homes in St. Tammany Parish were among the top five for resident deaths from the coronavirus. Forest Manor Nursing and Rehab Center in Covington has lost 33 residents, and 23 residents at Greenbriar Community Care Center in Slidell have succumbed to COVID-19. LOUISIANA COVID-19 NURSING HOME DEATHSMorrow Memorial Nursing Home, Arnaudville - 34Forest Manor Nursing & Rehab Center, Covington - 33Southeast Louisiana War Veterans Center, Reserve - 28Garden Park Nursing & Rehab Center, Shreveport - 23Greenbriar Community Care Center, Slidell - 23The Louisiana Department of Health also included the most recent census of residents at each nursing home but no information on how that count has changed since the onset of the novel coronavirus. LOUISIANA COVID-19 STAFF CASES Wynhoven Health Care Center, Marrero - 40Belle Maison Nursing & Rehab Center, Hammond - 36Southeast Louisiana War Veterans Home, Reserve - 36 Highland Place Rehab & Nursing Center, Shreveport - 34 Morrow Memorial Nursing Home, Arnaudville - 29Pointe Coupee Health Care, New Roads - 29Another New Orleans-area nursing home reported the highest number of coronavirus cases among staff members. The state figures showed 40 employees at Wynhoven Health Care Center in Marrero have tested positive, compared with 60 residents, 21 of whom have died. The facility is part of Christopher Homes, the affordable senior housing service of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
BATON ROUGE, La. — State health officials are now detailing how the novel coronavirus is impacting specific nursing homes, removing the lid on the information it had initially made public but stopped providing April 1.
Gov. John Bel Edwards said Monday the release of data complements efforts to test 100% of residents and staff at long-term care centers and other congruent living facilities such as group homes and prisons.
The Louisiana Department of Health provided counts from each nursing home of the number of residents and staff members who have tested positive, along with the number of resident deaths. Information on staff deaths was not provided.
Highland Place Rehab and Nursing Center in Shreveport has reported the most cases among residents with 124, including 17 deaths. Old Jefferson Community Care in Baton Rouge was next with 82 cases and 21 deaths, followed by the Southeast Louisiana War Veterans Home in Reserve, where 80 residents tested positive and 28 have died.
“Families need to know these facilities that have clustered cases. The larger community needs to know, and I think it’s a step in the right direction,” said Denise Bottcher, Louisiana AARP executive director. Her organization sent a letter to the governor Monday asking that he oppose any effort to offer immunity to nursing homes against lawsuits related to the coronavirus pandemic.
At Riverbend Rehabilitation and Nursing Home near Belle Chasse, an administrator notified families by email that there were no cases at the facility. While she was technically correct because the infected residents were no longer on site, WDSU confirmed three residents had died from the virus and another three were hospitalized.
Monday’s numbers from the Louisiana Department of Health show there have been 24 coronavirus cases among residents at Riverbend, 10 of whom have died -- accounting for nearly two-thirds of deaths in Plaquemines Parish. Another 13 staff members at Riverbend have also tested positive.
Deaths at nursing homes
Two nursing homes in St. Tammany Parish were among the top five for resident deaths from the coronavirus. Forest Manor Nursing and Rehab Center in Covington has lost 33 residents, and 23 residents at Greenbriar Community Care Center in Slidell have succumbed to COVID-19.
LOUISIANA COVID-19 NURSING HOME DEATHS
- Morrow Memorial Nursing Home, Arnaudville - 34
- Forest Manor Nursing & Rehab Center, Covington - 33
- Southeast Louisiana War Veterans Center, Reserve - 28
- Garden Park Nursing & Rehab Center, Shreveport - 23
- Greenbriar Community Care Center, Slidell - 23
The Louisiana Department of Health also included the most recent census of residents at each nursing home but no information on how that count has changed since the onset of the novel coronavirus.
LOUISIANA COVID-19 STAFF CASES- Wynhoven Health Care Center, Marrero - 40
- Belle Maison Nursing & Rehab Center, Hammond - 36
- Southeast Louisiana War Veterans Home, Reserve - 36
- Highland Place Rehab & Nursing Center, Shreveport - 34
- Morrow Memorial Nursing Home, Arnaudville - 29
- Pointe Coupee Health Care, New Roads - 29
Another New Orleans-area nursing home reported the highest number of coronavirus cases among staff members. The state figures showed 40 employees at Wynhoven Health Care Center in Marrero have tested positive, compared with 60 residents, 21 of whom have died. The facility is part of Christopher Homes, the affordable senior housing service of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
